A method for authenticating a timepiece

ABSTRACT

A method of authenticating a timepiece, such as a watch, comprising at least two procedures. A procedure may comprise analysing vibrations of the timepiece. A procedure may comprise analysing characteristics of a gemstone or gemstones of the timepiece. A procedure may comprise comparing measured or detected characteristics with reference information for the timepiece, and authenticating the timepiece based on the results of the comparison.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for authenticating a timepiece, in particular a watch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Counterfeit consumer goods, commonly called knock-offs, are counterfeit or imitation products offered for sale. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly.

Expensive watches (and spare parts for watches) are vulnerable to counterfeiting, and have been counterfeited for decades. A counterfeit watch is an illegal copy of a part or all of an authentic watch. According to estimates by the Swiss Customs Service, there are some 30 to 40 million counterfeit watches put into circulation each year. It is a common cliché that any visitor to New York City will be approached on a street corner by a vendor with a dozen such counterfeit watches inside his coat, offered at bargain prices. Extremely authentic looking, but very poor quality watches fakes with self-winding mechanisms and fully working movements can sell for as little as twenty dollars. The problem is becoming more and more serious, with the quality of the counterfeits constantly increasing. For example, some fakes' movements and materials are of remarkably passable quality and may look good to the untrained eye and work well for some years, a possible consequence of increasing competition within the counterfeiting community. Counterfeit watches cause an estimated $1 Billion loss per year to the watch industry.

Authentication solutions that have been used for protection of consumer goods from counterfeiting are often based on marking the item with a specific material, code, or marking, engraving, etc. However, these methods modify the nature and the appearance of the object, and this is often not acceptable in the watch (and other luxury items) industry, where the design of the object and its visual appearance is of paramount importance. Also, these methods require an active intervention at the time of manufacturing and, correspondingly an important change of the production process.

Counterfeiters often focus on the outer appearance of the watch and fit a cheap movement inside, because the potential buyer will focus more on the appearance of the piece, and because good movements are expensive. Even when a good quality movement is used, it is very difficult and expensive to make an exact copy and the counterfeit will prefer to use one that is easier to get or to manufacture. It is therefore desirable, to assess the authenticity of a timepiece, to have as much information as possible not only on its outer appearance but also on its inner content. It is furthermore desirable not to have to open the piece, as the operation requires specialized equipment and procedures, it may have an impact on the performances of the piece (e.g. water tightness), and may invalidate the manufacturer's warranty.

Another method for identification and/or authentication involves tagging (e.g., a micro tag or RFID tag). The tagging approach, however, requires intervention and may be impracticable. Moreover, such an approach may not fulfill all of watchmakers needs and constraints to protect against counterfeits. Stability and durability of the marking or tag is also a problem, since the lifetime of a timepiece is often measured in tens of years.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved watch identification and authentication method that provides the identification/authentication functionalities, while requiring minimal or no intervention in the manufacturing process and/or without any overt marking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method of authenticating a timepiece, as defined in claim 1.

The method comprises at least two procedures and advantageously provides a very strong way of testing the authenticity of the timepiece. The method comprises at least two of a first procedure (i), a second procedure (ii), a third procedure (iii), and a fourth procedure (iv). Optional features of the procedures are defined in the appended dependent claims. Any two of the procedures may be part of the method, for example the third procedure and the fourth procedure.

The method of authenticating the timepiece may comprise at least three of the first procedure (i), the second procedure (ii), the third procedure (iii) and the fourth procedure (iv). Any three of the procedures may be part of the method, for example the second procedure, the third procedure and the fourth procedure. Advantageously, an even stronger method is provided for testing the authenticity of the timepiece.

The method of authenticating the timepiece may comprise the first procedure, the second procedure, the third procedure and the fourth procedure. Advantageously, an even stronger method is provided for testing the authenticity of the timepiece.

The procedures may be carried out in any order and are not limited to the order in which they are presented in the description or claims. For example, the method may comprise the second procedure and the fourth procedure, wherein the fourth procedure is carried out before the second procedure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

For a more complete understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference may be had to the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the following exemplary and non-limiting drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an escapement in a timepiece;

FIG. 2 is a representation of acoustic vibrations in a timepiece as a function of time;

FIG. 3 is a close-up view on two events in the time sequence represented in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a close-up view on the first event represented in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a first procedure for authenticating a timepiece according to the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the first procedure for authenticating a timepiece according to the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of a first procedure for authenticating a timepiece according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a time-frequency representation of the acoustic vibrations of a timepiece according to a first model;

FIG. 9 is a time-frequency representation of the acoustic vibrations of a timepiece according to a second model;

FIG. 10 is a time-frequency representation of the acoustic vibrations of a timepiece according to a third model;

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a second procedure for authenticating a timepiece according to the invention;

FIG. 12 shows the respective frequency-domain power spectra obtained for two timepieces from the same manufacturer and from the same series;

FIG. 13 shows a close-up view on a part of the respective frequency-domain power spectra obtained for two timepieces represented in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary cross section view of components of a watch;

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary schematic view of a watch showing jewels subject to illumination in accordance with aspects of a third procedure for authenticating a timepiece;

FIG. 16 illustrates an overview of the jewel luminescence measurement in accordance with the third procedure;

FIGS. 17-28 illustrate detection and measurements of the luminescence of the jewels;

FIG. 29 illustrates exemplary camera measurement results in accordance with aspects of the third procedure;

FIG. 30 illustrates views of an exemplary orientation measurement in accordance with the third procedure;

FIGS. 31 and 32 illustrate exemplary results of an orientation measurement in accordance with the third procedure;

FIG. 33 shows an illustrative environment 3300 for managing the processes in accordance with the third procedure;

FIGS. 34 and 35 show exemplary flows for performing the third procedure;

FIG. 36 shows an exemplary excitation signal in accordance with a fourth procedure;

FIG. 37 shows an exemplary detected signal in accordance with the fourth procedure;

FIG. 38 shows an exemplary detected signal and identifies a background signal for subtraction in accordance with the fourth procedure;

FIG. 39 shows a Fourier transform of select portions of the signal represented in FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 shows a Fourier transform ratio of the Zone A portion of the signal to the Zone B portion of the signal;

FIG. 41 shows an exemplary signal detection system in accordance with the fourth procedure;

FIG. 42 shows an illustrative environment for managing the processes in accordance with the fourth procedure; and

FIGS. 43 and 44 show exemplary flow diagrams for performing the fourth procedure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The method for identifying and/or authenticating a timepiece, such as a watch, comprises at least two procedures in combination. Described herein are four procedures which may be used for this purpose. Each of the procedures is described below with respect to the enclosed drawings. It is intended that a combination of any two or more of these procedures be used to identify and/or authenticate a timepiece. The procedures described below may be carried out in any combination and in any order. The numbering of the procedures described herein is intended for clarity of the description only, and is not intended to imply a prescribed order for carrying out the procedures.

A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. A mechanical watch is a watch that uses a mechanical mechanism to measure the passage of time, as opposed to modern quartz watches which function electronically.

The internal mechanism of a watch, excluding the face and hands, is called the movement. The watch is driven by a spring (called a mainspring), which is wound periodically to store mechanical energy to power the watch. The mainspring's force is transmitted through a series of gears (or gear train) to power the balance wheel. The gear train has the dual function of transmitting the force of the mainspring to the balance wheel and adding up the swings of the balance wheel to get units of seconds, minutes, and hours, etc. A separate part of the gear train, called the keyless work, allows the user to wind the mainspring and enables the hands to be moved to set the time.

The balance wheel is a weighted wheel that oscillates back and forth at a constant rate. Each swing of the balance wheel takes precisely the same amount of time. This is the timekeeping element in the watch. An escapement mechanism has the dual function of keeping the balance wheel vibrating by giving it a push with each swing, and allowing the clock's gears to advance or ‘escape’ by a set amount with each swing, moving the watch's hands forward at a constant rate. The periodic stopping of the gear train by the escapement makes the ‘ticking’ sound of the mechanical watch. An indicating dial, usually a traditional clock face with rotating hands, is used to display the time in human-readable form.

A timepiece, such as a watch, may comprise a mechanical movement which produces a characteristic noise, which is commonly referred to as tick-tock. This tick-tock sound, which is characteristic of a timepiece, is due to the impacts happening between the various mechanical pieces of the escapement of the timepiece, which is a device transferring energy to the time-keeping element, the so-called impulse action, and allowing the number of its oscillations to be counted, the locking action. The ticking sound is the sound of the gear train stopping at the escapement locks.

FIG. 1 shows a representation of the main parts of an escapement. An escapement comprises a balance wheel 11, a pallet fork 12 and an escape wheel 13. The balance wheel 11 comprises an impulse pin 14, which strikes against the pallet fork 12. Further, the escape wheel 13 comprises teeth which strike an entry pallet jewel 15 and an exit pallet jewel 16 of the pallet fork 12.

First Procedure

A first procedure for authenticating and/identifying a time piece will be described in the following pages. The procedure comprises measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by said timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, extracting in said electrical signal or in a representation of said electrical signal in a time, frequency or time-frequency domain at least one of a magnitude information on a magnitude of one of said plurality of acoustic events, a time information on said one of said plurality of acoustic events and a frequency information on a frequency of said one of said plurality of acoustic events, comparing said extracted at least one of a magnitude information, time information and frequency information with at least one of a reference magnitude information, reference time information and reference frequency information, and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result.

The extracting step may comprise separating a series of consecutive events Ei with i=1 . . . n into different classes and analyzing each class separately. As an example, one class may correspond to odd events (i=1,3,5, . . . ) and another to even events (i=2,4,6, . . . ), which amounts to separating ticks and tocks. More generally, classes may contain events with the same value of (i modulo p), where (i modulo p) is the remainder of integer division of i by p and p is an integer number. For example, when p is equal to twice the number of teeth of the escapement wheel, each class contains the events (ticks or tocks) associated with one specific escapement wheel tooth.

The procedure is not necessarily limited to the analysis of ticks alone or tocks alone, it could also be a combination of tick and tock thereof can be used.

According to an embodiment of a first procedure for authenticating a timepiece, the acoustic vibrations of a timepiece to be authenticated are measured, for instance using a microphone, preferably a contact piezoelectric microphone. The acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. Such an electrical signal is represented in FIGS. 2 to 4.

FIG. 2 represents the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece as a function of time. The represented signal has a frequency of 3 Hz, i.e. six beats take place every single second. The signal alternates between tick events and tock events.

FIG. 3 represents a closer view on the start of the sequence of tick events and tock events shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows a first event 1 and a second event 2 of the sequence of ticks and tocks of FIG. 2. The first event 1 spreads in a time range comprised between about 0 and 15 ms, while the second event 2 spreads in a time range comprised between about 165 ms and 185 ms. As can be seen from FIG. 3, each one of the first event 1 and second event 2 is itself a sequence of several sub-events, which are illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up view on the first event 1 in the representation of FIG. 3. The first event 1 comprises a first sub-event 11, a second sub-event 12 and a third sub-event 13. The first sub-event 11 takes place in a time range comprised between about 0 and 3 ms, the second sub-event 12 takes place in a time range comprised between about 3.5 ms and about 10.5 ms. The third sub-event 13 takes place in a time range comprised between about 10.5 ms and about 18 ms. The first sub-event 11, second sub-event 12 and third sub-event 13 therefore make up the first event 1 shown in FIG. 3, which corresponds to one acoustic event of the timepiece.

FIG. 5 illustrates a first embodiment of a method for authenticating a timepiece according to a first procedure. FIG. 5 is a representation of the instantaneous power of the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated as a function of time. According to a first procedure for authenticating a timepiece, the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece may be measured and an electrical signal may be obtained. The electrical signal indicates a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. In the an embodiment of the first procedure illustrated with respect to FIG. 5, this electrical signal may be the representation of the instantaneous power of the acoustic vibrations as a function of time.

According to the first embodiment of the first procedure, an amplitude information of one or more events of a series of events may be extracted from the representation of the instantaneous power of the measured acoustic vibrations. In particular, an amplitude of a sub-event within one event is extracted. The extracted amplitude information could be peak amplitude or average amplitude. The extracted amplitude information is preferably a relative amplitude, since it depends on how the signal has been normalized.

FIG. 5 shows a first sub-event 101 and a second sub-event 102. The first sub-event 101 takes place in a time range comprised between about 3.5 ms and 4.5 ms, while the second sub-event 102 takes place in a time range comprised between about 11 ms and about 13 ms. The extracted amplitude is a beat-to-beat variation of a sub-event, e.g. the first sub-event 101. Further, an amplitude of the second sub-event 102 may be extracted.

The extracted amplitude information is then compared with a reference amplitude information. This reference amplitude information has been previously measured and stored for the timepiece model, which is to be authenticated. By comparing the extracted amplitude information obtained for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference amplitude information, information on an authenticity of the timepiece to be authenticated can be derived.

In particular, from the average amplitudes A₁ . . . A_(n) of a series of events 1 to n, information on the number of teeth of the escapement wheel can be obtained, as well as the number of teeth on the escapement wheel pinion and on further wheels down the gear train. This information can be used for authentication purposes.

According to a second possibility of the first embodiment of the first procedure, instead of an amplitude information, a time-delay information may be extracted from the time sequence of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece. For instance, one or more time delay(s) A between the highest peak of the first sub-event 101 and the highest peak of the second sub-event 102 may be extracted. This time delay A obtained for the timepiece to be authenticated can then be compared with a reference time delay which has been previously stored for the timepiece model to be authenticated. The time delay may be an absolute time delay or a relative time delay. For example, referring to FIG. 4, (t2−t1)/(t1−t0) is a relative time delay. The ratio of (t1−t0) in event i to (t1−t0) in event j is also a relative time delay. This information can also be used for authentication purposes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the first procedure, which may apply to the first embodiment of the first procedure but also to the further embodiments, which will be outlined in the following description, the measurements of the acoustic vibrations of the timepiece are carried out on every other acoustic event in the obtained electrical signal. This means that every other acoustic event in the electrical signal is separated, i.e. only the “ticks” or the “tocks” of the electrical signal are separated, and the steps for authenticating a timepiece according to an embodiment of the first procedure are performed on an electrical signal comprising only every other acoustic event, i.e. only the “ticks” or the “tocks”. More generally, the acoustic events may be separated according to any subset, not only every other acoustic event, but every n event, where n is equal to 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Separating every other acoustic event corresponds to the case of n equal to 2 and represents a preferred embodiment of the first procedure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a second embodiment of the first procedure for authenticating a timepiece. FIG. 6 is a representation of the power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated as a function of frequency. According to the second embodiment of the first procedure, the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of a magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. This electrical signal is transformed into a frequency domain, so as to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of the electrical signal as a function of frequency. The frequency-domain transform to be used according to this embodiment of the first procedure may be one of the usual frequency-domain transforms, such as a Fourier transform, in particular a Fast Fourier transform.

The frequency-power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated reveals several peaks in the power spectrum representation at several frequencies. In the particular example represented in FIG. 6, eleven peaks can be identified in the power spectrum, the power spectrum value of which is larger than 100 on the logarithmic scale of FIG. 6. These peaks in the power spectrum can be identified at frequencies f_(0′) to f_(10′) which are comprised in the range between 0 and 40 kHz. It must be noted that these values are given for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. In particular, even though the particular example of a threshold set at 100 for identifying peaks in the power spectrum has been given, the person skilled in the art will immediately understand that another threshold may be set, depending on the amount of frequency peaks desired as frequency information. For instance, the threshold could be set at 1000, so that only a few peaks can be identified.

This frequency information, i.e. the respective frequencies f_(0′) to f₁₀ in the example of FIG. 6 corresponding to peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated, is extracted from the frequency-domain power spectrum and compared with a reference frequency information, which has been previously stored for the timepiece model. This comparison enables to derive information on an authenticity of the timepiece to be authenticated by simply comparing the frequency information obtained for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference frequency information for the timepiece model to be authenticated.

According to an embodiment of the first procedure, information on the width of the spectral peak can also be used for authentication or identification purposes.

According to another embodiment of the first procedure, the spectrum is preferably the average of several spectra. It can be either the average of a number of consecutive events or the average of a number of events from the same class.

In the frequency-domain power spectrum representation of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, the dominant contribution within the power spectrum comes from the loudest portions within the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated. These loudest portions of the acoustic vibrations correspond to the events and sub-events, as the ones represented in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 7 illustrates a third embodiment of the first procedure for authenticating a timepiece. FIG. 7 is a time-frequency representation of the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated. FIG. 7 characterizes the electrical signal obtained by measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated both in the time domain and frequency domain. Unlike a transform into a frequency domain, which only gives information on the frequencies that are present in the transformed signal, a time-frequency representation gives information on which frequencies are present at which time. It can therefore be used to associate specific frequencies with specific events taking place in the time domain.

According to the third embodiment of the first procedure for authenticating a timepiece, the time-frequency transform to be used may be one among the several time-frequency transforms available and known to the person skilled in the art. In particular, only to cite a few possible transforms, the transform into a time-frequency representation may be one of the short-time Fourier transform, a Gabor transform, a Wigner transform and a wavelet transform.

FIG. 7 shows a time-frequency representation of the measured acoustic vibrations of a timepiece to be authenticated, which has been obtained by using a continuous wavelet transform. The wavelet transform is described, for example, in C. Torrence and G. P. Compo, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 79, 1998. The use of a wavelet transform represents a preferred embodiment of the first procedure, since the wavelet transform is a convenient tool for time-frequency analysis, with a number of interesting features, such as the possibility to adapt the time-frequency resolution to the problem under investigation, as well as the good mathematical properties. The continuous wavelet transform takes a time-domain signal s(t), the electrical signal of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, the electrical signal indicating a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, and transforms this time-domain signal into a time-frequency representation W(f, t), which is defined by the following formula:

${W\left( {f,t} \right)} = {\sqrt{\frac{2\pi \; f}{c}}{\int_{- \infty}^{\infty}{{s\left( t^{\prime} \right)}{\psi^{*}\left( \frac{2\pi \; {f\left( {t^{\prime} - t} \right)}}{c} \right)}\ {t^{\prime}}}}}$

where

-   -   ψ is called the wavelet function (there are several types to         choose from) and     -   c is a constant which depends on the chosen wavelet function         The exemplary time-frequency representation shown in FIG. 7,         which is also referred to as spectrogram, represents the values         of |W(f,t)|², which has been obtained using a Morlet wavelet:

ψ_(ω)(x)=π^(−1/4)exp(iωx−x ²/2)

with: ω=40 and

$c = {\frac{\omega + \sqrt{2 + \omega^{2}}}{2} \approx 40.01}$

As already mentioned above, according to a preferred embodiment of the first procedure, the measurements of the acoustic vibrations of the timepiece are carried out on every other acoustic event in the obtained electrical signal. This means that every other acoustic event in the electrical signal is separated, i.e. only the “ticks” or the “tocks” of the electrical signal are separated, and the steps for authenticating a timepiece according to an embodiment of the first procedure are performed on an electrical signal comprising only every other acoustic event, i.e. only the “ticks” or the “tocks”. In the context of the third embodiment, the continuous wavelet transform is applied to this signal of the separated events, and an average is then performed on a predetermined number of acoustic events. According to a preferred embodiment of the first procedure, the average is performed over at least 10 acoustic events, preferably at least 20 acoustic events.

As already mentioned above, FIG. 7 is a time-frequency representation of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated, which has been obtained by performing a continuous wavelet transform of the time-domain signal obtained by measuring the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece. In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the spectrogram reveals a first sub-event 201 in a time span comprised between about 0 ms and about 2 ms. A second sub-event is also visible in a time span comprised between about 3 ms and 5 ms. Finally, a third sub-event 203 can be identified in a time span comprised between about 10 ms and 14 ms.

Further to the time information that can be obtained from the spectrogram represented in FIG. 7, frequency information can also be obtained for each of the sub-events identified. Indeed, the frequency values of harmonics leading to peaks in a frequency-domain representation of the electrical signal obtained by measuring the acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated can be easily obtained from the time-frequency representation of FIG. 7 with the additional time information being directly accessible. For instance, as far as the third sub-event 203 is concerned, spots or areas can be identified for the approximate coordinates (11 ms, 32 kHz), (11 ms, 16 kHz). Further, stripes can also be identified, for instance between about 11 and 13 ms, for a frequency of about 8 kHz. As far as the second sub-event 202 is concerned, a spot could also be identified for the approximate coordinate (3.5 ms, 32 kHz).

By using this time-frequency information, which is obtained from a time-frequency representation of the electrical signal obtained by measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, information on an authenticity of the timepiece can be derived. In order to do so, the time-frequency information is extracted from the time-frequency representation and compared with reference time-frequency information, which has been previously stored for the timepiece model. By comparing the time-frequency information extracted for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference time-information for the timepiece model, it can be derived whether the timepiece is authentic or not.

It has been observed by the inventors of the present invention that the reliability and degree of precision of the first procedure is such that it is possible to even identify differences between the timepieces of an identical model. Indeed, because of manufacturing tolerances, even two timepieces of an identical model differ from each other. When applying the principles underlined in the first procedure to different timepieces from the same series and the same manufacturer, it can be seen that the corresponding acoustic measurements are different and the extracted relevant respective pieces of frequency information, which characterize the fingerprint of the respective timepiece, are different. Hence, an identifier can be defined for a timepiece without having to open the timepiece.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary spectrogram obtained for a timepiece according to a first model. FIG. 9 represents a spectrogram for a timepiece according to a second model. FIG. 10 represents a spectrogram for a timepiece according to a third model. These spectrograms show that each timepiece model can be associated with a characteristic time-frequency representation. Consequently, by comparing the time-frequency representation of a timepiece to be authenticated with a reference time-frequency representation, which is expected for this particular timepiece model, authenticity information on the timepiece to be authenticated can be derived. Hence, it can be derived whether a timepiece to be authenticated is an authentic product or a counterfeited product.

Even though the first procedure has been described with respect to the particular case of mechanical shocks within the timepiece being the primary source of vibrations, the person skilled in the art will immediately recognize that the principles outlined in the present application can be applied to another source of vibrations. For instance, it could be envisaged to apply the principles according to the embodiments of the second procedure to an external source of vibrations.

Second Procedure

A second procedure for authenticating and/identifying a timepiece will be described in the following pages. The procedure comprises measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by said timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, said acoustic events being separated from each other by a respective quiet zone, processing said electrical signal so as to attenuate said plurality of acoustic events in said electrical signal, performing a transform of said processed electrical signal into a frequency domain to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of said processed electrical signal as a function of frequency, processing said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in said frequency-domain power spectrum corresponding to at least one resonance frequency of a mechanical part of said timepiece resonating in a quiet zone, extracting said at least one resonance frequency corresponding to said at least one narrow peak, comparing said extracted at least one resonance frequency with at least one reference resonance frequency, and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result.

The method may further comprise extracting a width of said revealed at least one narrow peak.

The method may further comprise extracting a relative amplitude of said revealed at least one narrow peak.

Processing said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in said frequency-domain power spectrum may comprise filtering said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reduce a background part and keep sharp peaks within said frequency-domain power spectrum. This can be done e.g. by performing a derivative of the spectrum with respect to frequency or by wavelet de-noising of the spectrum.

A frequency analysis of the decay of acoustic events in the quiet zone between acoustic events may be achieved.

According to an embodiment of the second procedure, the acoustic vibrations of a timepiece to be authenticated are measured, for instance using a microphone, preferably a contact piezoelectric microphone. The acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. Such an electrical signal is represented in FIGS. 2 to 4.

FIG. 2 represents the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece as a function of time. The represented signal has a frequency of 3 Hz, i.e. six beats take place every single second. The signal alternates between tick events and tock events.

FIG. 3 represents a closer view on the start of the sequence of tick events and tock events shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows a first event 1 and a second event 2 of the sequence of ticks and tocks of FIG. 2. The first event 1 spreads in a time range comprised between about 0 and 15 ms, while the second event 2 spreads in a time range comprised between about 165 ms and 185 ms. The events 1 and 2 are separated from each other by a so-called quiet zone, which extends between about 15 ms and 165 ms, in which the contribution of the mechanical shocks to the signal is extremely weak. As can be seen from FIG. 3, each one of the first event 1 and second event 2 is itself a sequence of sev-eral sub-events, which are illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows a close-up view on the first event 1 in the representation of FIG. 3. The first event 1 comprises a first sub-event 11, a second sub-event 12 and a third sub-event 13. The first sub-event 11 takes place in a time range comprised between about 0 and 3 ms, the second sub-event 12 takes place in a time range comprised between about 3.5 ms and about 10.5 ms. The third sub-event 13 takes place in a time range comprised between about 10.5 ms and about 18 ms. The first sub-event 11, second sub-event 12 and third sub-event 13 therefore make up the first event 1 shown in FIG. 3, which corresponds to one acoustic event of the timepiece.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the second procedure for authenticating a timepiece. FIG. 11 is a representation of the power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated as a function of frequency. In the following, the various steps of the method for authenticating a timepiece according to this procedure will be described.

First, the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. The electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events, as those represented in FIGS. 3 and 4.

After the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated have been measured, the obtained electrical signal is processed so as to attenuate the plurality of acoustic events in the electrical signal. According to a preferred embodiment of the second procedure, this attenuation of the plurality of events in the electrical signal can be achieved by carrying out the following steps. First, the electrical signal S is sampled at a predetermined sampling frequency, e.g. 96 kHz, to obtain a digital signal, e.g. a 16-bit signal. An envelope E of the obtained sampled signal is calculated by averaging an absolute value of the plurality of samples, e.g. the last 200 samples. Then, a ratio A of the sampled electrical signal S divided by the calculated envelope E of the sampled electrical signal S is calculated. The calculation of this ratio A=S/E allows for attenuating the loud vibrations, thereby revealing the weak vibrations during the quiet zone.

After processing the electrical signal so as to attenuate the plurality of acoustic events in the electrical signal, a transform of the processed electrical signal into a frequency domain is performed, in order to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of the power of the processed electrical signal as a function of frequency. According to the second procedure, the frequency-domain transform may be a Fourier transform, preferably a Fast Fourier transform. However, other frequency-domain transforms could also be considered.

Reverting to the exemplary values mentioned above with respect to the attenuation of the acoustic events in the electrical signal, a Fast Fourier transform of the ratio A signal is carried out on a large number of consecutive values. In the example represented in FIG. 11, the Fast Fourier transform of the ratio A signal, which has been sampled at 130 kHz, was performed on 655,360 consecutive values thereof. This analysis allows for obtaining a frequency-domain spectrum until 65 kHz with a resolution of 0.2 Hz. It must be understood that the values indicated herewith are only meant for exemplary purposes and are not limiting the principles of the present invention. The person skilled in the art will immediately understand that what matters here is that an extremely fine frequency analysis of the ratio A signal can be performed, which will permit a spectrum having easily recognizable peaks.

After the transform of the processed electrical signal into the frequency domain has been carried out to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum, the frequency-domain power spectrum is processed so as to reveal a narrow peak or a plurality of narrow peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum. These narrow peaks correspond to resonance frequencies of a mechanical part or a plurality of mechanical parts within the timepiece to be authenticated. These mechanical parts resonate in the quiet zone, but their signal is often impossible to detect, since it is an extremely weak signal. The second procedure described herein presents a way of extracting the information on the resonance frequencies of these mechanical parts, wherein the obtained resonance frequency information can be used for authentication purposes.

According to the second procedure, said processing said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in said frequency-domain power spectrum may comprise filtering the frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reduce the background and keep the sharp peaks, e.g. by performing a derivative of the spectrum with respect to frequency, or by wavelet de-noising of the spectrum.

According to the second procedure, a fast and convenient method to carry out the processing step of processing the frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in the frequency-domain power spectrum may comprise the following steps. First, for each frequency F of the frequency-domain power spectrum, a module M(F) of a complex number obtained in performing the transform of the processed electrical signal into the frequency domain is calculated. Then, a value V(F) of M(F) multiplied by the double derivative in frequency is calculated. This multiplication allows for revealing the narrow peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum. This therefore allows for revealing the resonance frequencies of mechanical parts resonating in the quiet zone. The module M(F) of the complex number is multiplied by an absolute value of a difference between the module M(F) of the complex number and a module M(F−1) of a complex number for an immediately preceding frequency (F−1). The obtained number is further multiplied by an absolute value of a difference between the module M(F) of the complex number for frequency F and the module M(F−1) of the complex number for an immediately following frequency (F−1). This calculation is summarized by the following formula:

V(F)=M(F)×abs(M(F)−M(F−1))×abs(M(F)−M(F+1))

where abs(X) represents the absolute value of X.

According to the second procedure, the resonance frequency corresponding to the identified narrow peak in the frequency-domain power spectrum or a plurality of such resonance frequencies may be extracted. The frequency-power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated reveals several peaks in the power spectrum representation at several frequencies. In the particular example represented in FIG. 11, eight peaks can be identified in the power spectrum, the power spectrum value of which is larger than 600 on the logarithmic scale of FIG. 11. These peaks in the power spectrum can be identified at frequencies f₀ to f₇, which are comprised in the range between 0 and about 32 kHz. It must be noted that these values are given for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. In particular, even though the particular example of a threshold set at 600 for identifying peaks in the power spectrum has been given, the person skilled in the art will immediately understand that another threshold may be set, depending on the amount of frequency peaks desired as frequency information. For instance, the threshold could be set at 1000, so that only a few peaks can be identified.

The respective frequencies f_(0′) to f₇ in the example of FIG. 11 corresponding to peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated can be extracted from the frequency-domain power spectrum.

Then, the extracted resonance frequency or frequencies of the identified peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum is/are compared with a reference resonance frequency or frequencies. The reference resonance frequencies have been stored previously and correspond to the values obtained when performing the above method steps on a particular timepiece model. By storing the resonance frequency values for a timepiece model, reference resonance frequency information is stored, which can be used for comparison with a timepiece to be authenticated. The comparison results give information on an authenticity of the timepiece to be authenticated.

It has been observed by the inventors of the present invention that the reliability and degree of precision of the second procedure are such that it is possible to even identify differences between the timepieces of an identical model. Indeed, timepieces that are manufactured by hand are unique, so that two timepieces of an identical model differ from each other with differences that at first look are merely imperceptible. When applying the principles underlined in the second procedure to different timepieces from the same series and the same company, it can be seen that the corresponding acoustic measurements are different and the extracted relevant respective piece s of frequency information, which characterize the fingerprint of the respective timepiece, are different. Hence, an identifier can be defined for a timepiece without having to open the timepiece.

According to the second procedure, the processing steps for revealing the narrow peaks in the frequency-domain power spectrum may be repeated and, for each frequency F of the frequency-domain power spectrum, an average of the results V(F) of the repeated calculating and multiplying steps may be calculated. This average value is then represented on a graph. Such a graph is shown in FIG. 11, wherein a plurality of narrow peaks can be identified. By performing the steps described with respect to the second procedure, the contribution of the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated in the quiet zone between acoustic events is, so to say, highlighted or “amplified”. On the other hand, the contribution of the loud acoustic events is attenuated by processing the electrical signal according to the second procedure. Hence, by performing the steps according to the second procedure, a frequency-domain power spectrum is obtained in which clearly recognizable narrow peaks can be extracted which correspond to the acoustic vibrations of the mechanical parts within the timepiece to be authenticated. These acoustic vibrations are comparatively weak, when compared with the loud acoustic events taking place during the events or sub-events, but are comparatively long-lived, in comparison with these events or sub-events.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the fact that clearly recognizable narrow peaks can be extracted, which allow for uniquely identifying different timepieces. FIG. 12 shows the respective frequency-domain power spectra obtained for two timepieces (111) and (112). FIG. 13 shows a close-up view on a part of the respective frequency-domain power spectra obtained for the two timepieces (111) and (112) represented in FIG. 12. It is apparent that the peaks identified for the timepiece (111) differ from those identified for the timepiece (112), thereby allowing for differentiating them from each other.

According to a variant of the second procedure for authenticating a timepiece, the processing of the electrical signal for attenuating the plurality of events in the electrical signal obtained by measuring acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated may be replaced by another processing step. Indeed, another possibility to attenuate the loud acoustic events is to divide the electrical signal by its average signal amplitude, where the average amplitude is found by taking the absolute value of the signal and filtering it with a low-pass filter. Another possibility would be to multiply the electrical signal by zero, wherever its average signal amplitude is larger than a given threshold. Finally, still another possibility would be to multiply the electrical signal by zero in a given time interval after the beginning of the acoustic event.

According to another variant of the second procedure for authenticating a timepiece, a time-frequency transform of the acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated into a time-frequency domain can be used instead of a frequency-domain transform as described above with respect to FIG. 11. Unlike a transform into a frequency domain, which only gives information on the frequencies that are present in the transformed signal, a time-frequency representation gives information on which frequencies are present at which time.

According to this variant, the time-frequency transform to be used may be one among the several time-frequency transforms available and known to the person skilled in the art. In particular, only to cite a few possible transforms, the transform into a time-frequency representation may be one of the windowed Fourier transform and a wavelet transform.

The wavelet transform is described, for example, in C. Torrence and G. P. Compo, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 79, 1998. The continuous wavelet transform takes a time-domain signal s(t), the electrical signal of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, the electrical signal indicating a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, and transforms this time-domain signal into a time-frequency representation W(f, t), which is defined by the following formula:

${W\left( {f,t} \right)} = {\sqrt{\frac{2\pi \; f}{c}}{\int_{- \infty}^{\infty}{{s\left( t^{\prime} \right)}{\psi^{*}\left( \frac{2\pi \; {f\left( {t^{\prime} - t} \right)}}{c} \right)}\ {t^{\prime}}}}}$

where

-   -   ψ is called the wavelet function (there are several types to         choose from) and     -   c is a constant which depends on the chosen wavelet function

By using the time-frequency information, which is obtained from a time-frequency representation of the electrical signal obtained by measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, information on an authenticity of the timepiece can be derived. In order to do so, the time-frequency information is extracted from the time-frequency representation and compared with reference time-frequency information, which has been previously stored for the timepiece model. By comparing the time-frequency information extracted for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference time-information for the timepiece model, it can be derived whether the timepiece is authentic or not.

According to the second procedure, a timepiece may be amended by introducing a resonator having predetermined resonance frequency characteristics into the timepiece. By choosing the material, the thickness and the width of the resonator and selecting a particular arrangement within the timepiece, the resonance frequency characteristics of the resonator, such as the frequency, resonance width and quality factor, may be precisely determined. By introducing this resonator with predetermined resonance frequency characteristics into a timepiece, the authentication of the timepiece can be tremendously improved, since the steps described herein with respect to the second procedure can be applied to a timepiece to be authenticated and the authentication consists in searching for the predetermined known resonance frequencies within the frequency-domain power spectrum. Since the principles mentioned above allow for a frequency-domain power spectrum having easily recognizable narrow peaks, an authentication of a timepiece comprising a resonator having predetermined resonance frequency characteristics consists in extracting the resonance frequency or frequencies of the narrow peaks within the frequency-domain power spectrum and comparing these extracted resonance frequencies with the predetermined known resonance frequencies of the resonator. Hence, the resonator allows for introducing a kind of signature into a timepiece, which can then be used for authenticating a timepiece. However, even if one resonator is determined and created, it still remains that the production of the timepiece is subject to manufacturing tolerances, so that, even if a frequency is known, it remains that for two resonators, which seem to be the same, there will most likely be a small difference which could be determined in an efficient manner using the second procedure. However, as already outlined above, it has been observed by the inventors of the present invention that the reliability and degree of precision of the second procedure are such that it is possible to identify such small differences. This therefore enhances the strength of the protection for the timepieces such as luxury watches, where reproducing exactly a specific watch will be merely impossible.

Third Procedure

A third procedure for authenticating and/identifying a timepiece will be described in the following pages. The procedure comprises determining one or more characteristics of at least one gemstone of the timepiece; creating an identifier for the timepiece in dependence upon at least one of the one or more characteristics of the at least one gemstone; and comparing the created identifier with one or more stored identifiers to determine whether the timepiece is authentic or a counterfeit.

Jewel bearings were introduced in watches to reduce friction. The advantage of using jewels is that their ultra-hard slick surface has a lower coefficient of friction with metal. Jewels in modern watches are usually synthetic sapphire or (usually) ruby, made of corundum (Al₂O₃), one of the hardest substances known (only diamond is harder). Corundum is clear in color. The only difference between sapphire and ruby is that different impurities have been added to change the clear color of the corundum; there is no difference in their properties as a bearing.

Jewels serve multiple purposes in a watch. First, reduced friction can increase accuracy. Friction in the wheel train bearings and the escapement causes slight variations in the impulses applied to the balance wheel, causing variations in the rate of timekeeping. The low, predictable friction of jewel surfaces reduces these variations. Second, the jewels can increase the life of the bearings.

Watches utilize two different types of jewels in bearings. Hole jewels are donut shaped sleeve bearings used to support the arbor (or shaft) of most wheels. Capstones (or cap jewels) are positioned at each end of the arbor. When the arbor is in a vertical position, its rounded end bears against the surface of the capstone, lowering friction.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary cross section view of components of a watch. As shown in FIG. 14, a hole jewel 1410 is used to support the arbor (or shaft) 1415, and a capstone (or cap jewel) 1420 is positioned at each end of the arbor (with only one end shown in FIG. 14).

Jewels are also utilized in the escapement for the parts that function by sliding friction. For example, pallets are the angled rectangular surfaces on the lever that are pushed against by the teeth of the escape wheel. The pallets are a primary source of friction in a watch movement, and were one of the first sites to which jewels were applied.

The number of jewels used in watch movements increased over the last 150 years as jeweling grew less expensive and watches grew more accurate. The only bearings that really need to be jeweled in a watch are the ones in the going train—the gear train that transmits force from the mainspring barrel to the balance wheel—since only they are constantly under force from the mainspring. The wheels that turn the hands (the motion work) and the calendar wheels are not under load, while the ones that wind the mainspring (the keyless work) are used very seldom, so they do not wear significantly. Friction has the greatest effect in the wheels that move the fastest, so they benefit most from jewelling. So the first mechanism to be jeweled in watches was the balance wheel pivots, followed by the escapement. As more jeweled bearings were added, they were applied to slower moving wheels, and jewelling progressed up the going train toward the barrel. A seventeen jewel watch has every bearing from the balance wheel to the center wheel pivot bearings jeweled, so it was considered a ‘fully jeweled’ watch. In quality watches, to minimize positional error, capstones were added to the lever and escape wheel bearings, making twenty-one jewels. Even the mainspring barrel arbor was sometimes jeweled, making the total twenty-three. When self-winding watches were introduced in the 1950s, several wheels in the automatic winding mechanism were jeweled, increasing the count to twenty-five to twenty-seven.

In accordance with the third procedure for authenticating a timepiece, one or more properties of a plurality of the jewels (or gemstones) are used for identification and/or authentication of the timepiece. It has been surprisingly found that the jewels can be used for authentication and/or identification, by analysis of specific characteristics, linked to the nature of the jewel, its chemical composition and/or its physical properties. These characteristics for a respective jewel may include the luminescence of the stone, its position in space, and its orientation.

By implementing the third procedure, a watch can be uniquely identified through an analysis and measurement of the specific characteristics of one or more jewels of the watch. The analysis and measurement may be performed, for example, during or after manufacture of the watch. These specific characteristics of the jewels (or, for example, a numerical representation thereof) may be stored in a storage system (e.g., a database) along with an identification number (e.g., a serial number). Subsequently, by performing the analysis and measurement of the specific characteristics of one or more jewels, and comparing the measured results with results previously stored in the storage system, the watch can be authenticated. If the measured results match a previously stored identification (or the previously stored identification associated with the identification number of the watch), then the watch is deemed authentic.

While a watch may have, for example, as many as twenty-seven jewels, typically five to seven jewels (and sometime more) are visible in the movement, for example, through a clear back-plate, or after the back-plate has been removed. The third procedure contemplates that the five to seven viewable jewels may be used for identification and/or authentication. The third procedure contemplates, however, that jewels other than the “visible” jewels (which are viewable, for example, after further disassembly of the timepiece, or prior to complete assembly of the timepiece) may be used, for example, as an alternative to, or in addition to, the “visible” jewels, for identification and/or authentication.

The third procedure may provide an improved watch identification and authentication system that provides the identification and authentication functionalities, while requiring minimal or no intervention in the manufacturing process.

Jewel Luminescence

Natural and synthetic ruby is mainly composed of Cr:Al₂O₃, and it is used in watches for its mechanical properties, and sometimes, for its color. Natural and synthetic ruby also has other interesting properties. For example, rubies, due to the Cr doping, exhibit intense and long lived luminescence (λ˜700 nm, τ˜3.5 ms), wherein λ is the wavelength of luminescence, and τ is the lifetime of the luminescence. Due to the strength of the luminescence, this characteristic is easily measurable. In accordance with the third procedure, ruby luminescence may be utilized as a security feature. τ depends, for example, on the concentration of Cr and other impurities. While the above example utilizes chromium doping, the third procedure contemplates that, other (or additional) types of dopants may be used, which may result in the jewels exhibiting differing lifetimes and/or luminescence ranges. For example, Ti or Fe doping (amongst other contemplated dopants) may be used to modulate the luminescence lifetime. Other types of contemplated dopants, in particular, with garnets (which are slightly less hard than corundum, but are also used in timepieces), include rare earths, such as, Nd, Er, Yb, Tm, and Ho. In accordance an exemplary aspect of the third procedure, the natural variations of the stones (e.g., commercial stones) can be exploited to create an identification and authentication security feature. Additionally a manufacturer may use jewels that were synthesized to have a target synthesis (e.g., particular properties). For example, the concentration of dopants can be specified at the synthesis. While rubies are noted above the stones may be corundum (Al₂O₃) and/or garnet containing one or more “dopant” metal ions in the 4^(th) period (Fe, Ti, V, Cr, . . . ) present, for example, up to a few percent concentration. For example the few percent concentration may include a range of 0.1% to 5%. The dopant ions may be Cr3+. The jewels may be natural and/or synthetic.

According to the third procedure, a watch is subject to an illumination source, and the luminescence of a number of jewels of the watch are measured over a period of intervals. By luminescence, it is intended phosphorescence and/or fluorescence emitted by a stone upon excitation with light. In embodiments, the intervals may be time intervals (e.g., 1 to 10 ms) for measuring luminescence, or may be spectral intervals (e.g., λ=690-710 nm).

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary schematic view of a watch showing jewels that are subjected to illumination. As should be understood, FIG. 15 represents a schematic illustration of a watch, and does not illustrate all the components of the watch. As shown in FIG. 15, with this exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, seven jewels (1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1525, 1530, and 1535) have been subjected to illumination.

As should be understood, different watches may have differing numbers of jewels and/or differing number of viewable jewels (e.g., through a transparent back and/or upon removal of a back cover), and the third procedure contemplates using any number of jewels for identification and/or authentication. As shown in FIG. 15, jewels 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, and 1525 are capstone jewels, whereas jewels 1530 and 1535 are escapement jewels.

FIG. 16 illustrates an overview of the jewel luminescence measurement in accordance with the third procedure. As shown in FIG. 16, during the time period T_(exec), an illumination source 1605 is activated to provide excitation light to the jewels of a watch. After an elapse of time, ΔT, the luminescence of the jewels is detected and measured by a reader 1610 during T_(det). Image 1615 schematically illustrates the jewels during illumination with the excitation light. Image 1620 illustrates the jewels during the time period T_(det). In embodiments, the reader 1610 may comprise, for example, a fixed device, a handheld device, a mobile phone, and/or a camera, amongst other contemplated readers.

In accordance with the third procedure, the luminescence of the jewels may be detected and measured at several intervals. By several intervals, it is intended two or more time intervals, which can be the same or different (e.g., a plurality of jewels' luminescence are measured during the same time interval, i.e., simultaneously, or, during different time intervals, i.e., sequentially), overlapping or non-overlapping, have the same duration or different duration, be regularly spaced or not, during which the luminescence is measured.

FIGS. 17-28 illustrate an exemplary and non-limiting detection and measurement of the luminescence of the jewels at different intervals of 0.3 ms in duration from ΔT=0 (FIG. 17) to ΔT=3.3 ms (FIG. 28). Additionally, FIGS. 17-28 also show respective images (1720, 1820, 1920, 2020, 2120, 2220, 2320, 2420, 2520, 2620, 2720, and 2820) of the detected luminescence during T_(det). In embodiments, measuring the luminescence includes determining spectral characteristics (intensity and/or wavelength) of the luminescence, and/or determining a lifetime (also called decay time) of the luminescence.

FIG. 29 illustrates exemplary camera measurement results on ten rubies from the same supplier in accordance with the third procedure. FIG. 29( a) illustrates decay curves for the ten rubies (with each ruby represented by a plotted line). FIG. 29( b) illustrates respective lifetimes for the ten rubies. As shown in FIG. 29( a), the ten different rubies exhibit different decay curves. As shown in FIG. 29( b), the ten different rubies exhibit different lifetimes. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 29( b), with this exemplary batch of ten rubies (labeled ruby number 1 through ruby number 10), ruby numbers 1, 4, 8, and 10 are relative outliers. This illustrates the variability in decay rates amongst the different jewels (even, for example, within a same batch from the same supplier), and thus, the suitability of detected luminescence for identification and authentication purposes.

Jewel Position

In accordance with additional aspects of the third procedure, the relative positions of the respective jewels may be detected, e.g., by the reader. The position may comprise the coordinates (x1, y1) of a stone with respect to a coordinate system associated with the timepiece. In further embodiments, the jewels may be identified by a position number (e.g., “Position 1,” “Position 2,” etc.). Additionally, the relative position of each jewel may be associated (for example, in a database) with the respective luminescent properties (e.g., lifetime, decay curve, decay rate, etc.) for identification and/or authentication. Thus, with reference to FIG. 15, in embodiments, the respective luminescent properties of each of the seven jewels (1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1525, 1530, and 1535) are detected and associated (e.g., in a database) with the relative positions of the respective jewels. For example, τ₀=1.1 ms, τ₁=1.5 ms, τ₂=1.5ms, τ₃= . . . , τ₄= . . . , τ₅= . . . , τ₆= . . . , wherein τ is the lifetime, and 0-6 is the jewel number (or relative jewel position). In accordance with the third procedure, this association between the luminescent properties and relative locations of the respective jewels may create a map, for example, of which jewel has which lifetime, and provides a unique (or substantially unique) identifier or biometric signature for the watch for identification and/or authentication. As should be understood, the third procedure contemplates that any number of jewels may serve as an identifier or biometric signature, with a larger number of jewels providing a greater level of uniqueness.

Jewel Orientation

Within a timepiece, the jewels (e.g., the capstones) are round, and when assembled, are positioned arbitrarily with respect to a rotation axis. That is, while two watches of a same manufacturer may have the same layout of jewels (i.e., corresponding jewels are placed in the same relative location, these jewels are arbitrarily placed with respect to an orientation about the jewels' axes, such that the two watches will have the jewels positioned at differing orientations. Thus, in accordance with the third procedure, the orientation of one or more jewels may be used as an identifier for identification and/or authentication of a timepiece. The orientation of the stones can be measured in a simple way when the stones are made of a birefringent material, such as, for example, corundum, as explained further below.

In accordance with the third procedure, the relative orientation of the respective jewels may be detected, e.g., by the reader. Additionally, the relative orientation of each jewel may be associated (for example, in a database) with the respective position of each jewel and/or the respective luminescent properties (e.g., lifetime, decay rate, etc.) for identification and/or authentication.

In addition to the luminescent properties noted above, natural or synthetic rubies and corundum, for example, also have other interesting properties. For example, rubies and corundum exhibit strong birefringence. Birefringence, or double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through certain anisotropic materials, such as crystals of calcite or boron nitride, and the property of such materials. The simplest instance of the effect arises in materials with uniaxial anisotropy. That is, the structure of the material is such that it has an axis of symmetry with no equivalent axis in the plane perpendicular to it. This axis is known as the optical axis of the material, and light with linear polarizations parallel and perpendicular to it experiences unequal indices of refraction, denoted n_(e) and n_(o), respectively, where the suffixes stand for extraordinary and ordinary. The names reflect the fact that, if unpolarized light enters the material at a nonzero acute angle to the optical axis, the component with polarization perpendicular to this axis will be refracted as per the standard law of refraction, while the complementary polarization component will refract at a nonstandard angle determined by the angle of entry and the difference between the indices of refraction, Δn=n_(e)−n_(o), known as the birefringence magnitude. The light will therefore split into two linearly polarized beams, known as ordinary and extraordinary.

For a given propagation direction, in general there are two perpendicular polarizations for which the medium behaves as if it had a single effective refractive index. In a uniaxial material, rays with these polarizations are called the extraordinary and the ordinary ray (e and o rays), corresponding to the extraordinary and ordinary refractive indices. In a biaxial material, there are three refractive indices α, β, and γ, yet only two rays, which are called the fast and the slow ray. The slow ray is the ray that corresponds to the highest effective refractive index.

Thus, in accordance with the third procedure, ruby birefringence may be utilized as a security feature. The ruby birefringence is approximately: n_(ω)=1.768−1.770, n_(ε)=1.760−1.763, Δn˜0.008, wherein the direction of optical axes depends on the stone orientation. In accordance with the third procedure, stone orientation may easily be measured with an optical method (for example, polarized light with a polarized filter, or crossed polarizers) to determine the relative orientation of one or more of the optical axes of a birefringent stone. A particularly simple method involves using two crossed linear polarizers, one for polarizing the light used to illuminate the stone and the other one to analyze the light reflected by the stone. The relative orientation of the two polarizers with respect to the stone is then changed, either by turning the polarizers or by turning the stone, until a minimum of the reflected intensity is observed. At this position the axis of the polarizers are aligned with the fast and slow directions described above.

FIG. 30 illustrates views of an exemplary orientation measurement in accordance with the third procedure. FIG. 30 (a) illustrates a schematic view of an exemplary timepiece 3000 (and the viewable jewels 3005 therein). FIGS. 30( b)-30(h) illustrate the exemplary orientation measurement in accordance with the third procedure. As should be understood, FIGS. 30( b)-30(h) schematically illustrate watch 3000 with the schematic movement (which is shown in FIG. 30( a)) removed to more clearly illustrate aspects of the third procedure. As shown in FIGS. 30( b)-30(h), with this exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, seven measurements of the timepiece 3000 (and the viewable jewels 3005 therein) are taken in 15 degree increments staring at 0 degrees (FIG. 30( b)) and ending at 90 degrees (FIG. 30( h)), for example, using crossed polarizers. The orientation of the crossed polarizers is represented in each of FIGS. 30( b) to 30(h) by reference number 3010. In performing this measurement, the relative orientation of each jewel 3005 can be determined based on the birefringence. While the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 30 illustrates measurements, taken in 15 degree increments, the third procedure contemplates that, other increments (for example, 5 degree increments) may be used to provide a finer or coarser measurement.

FIGS. 31 and 32 illustrate exemplary results of an orientation measurement in accordance with the third procedure. As should be understood, FIGS. 31 and 32 represent schematic illustrations of a watch, and do not illustrate all the components of the watch. Moreover, as can be observed, FIG. 31 illustrates the jewels with additional components of the watch movement, whereas FIG. 32 only illustrates the jewels themselves. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, with this exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, a watch 3100 includes six jewels 3105. In accordance with the third procedure, the respective relative orientation of each of the six jewels 3105 are detected and associated (e.g., in a database) with the relative positions of the respective jewels. For example, θ₁=35°, θ₂=10°, θ₃=45°, θ₄=35°, θ₅=40°, θ₆=25°, wherein θ is the relative orientation, and 1-6 is the jewel number (or relative jewel position). In accordance with the third procedure, this association between the orientation and relative locations of the respective jewels may create a map, for example, of which jewel has which orientation, and provides a unique (or substantially unique) identifier or biometric signature for the watch for identification and/or authentication. As should be understood, the third procedure contemplates that any number of jewels may serve as an identifier or biometric signature, with a larger number of jewels providing a greater level of uniqueness. Additionally, an association between the relative location and both the respective luminescent properties and the respective orientations provide a greater level of identification uniqueness. Moreover, measuring both the luminescent properties and the orientations of the stones does not require much greater time or cost than measuring only one of these properties. In embodiments, there may be 2-10 bits of information per stone.

The orientation of watch face cover itself, which is usually made of corundum, may serve as an additional identifier of the watch. For example, due to the birefringent properties of the corundum cover, the relative orientation of the cover may be determined, and used as an identifier of the watch. Furthermore, the third procedure may utilize a detection of the orientation of the watch face cover to determine if a watch has been tampered with. That is, if a detection of the current watch face cover orientation does not match that of a stored watch face cover orientation for the corresponding watch (e.g., as identified with a serial number), then the third procedure indicates that the watch has been tampered with.

Creating Identifier

In accordance with the third procedure, the measured luminescence properties, relative positions and/or orientations of the respective jewels may be used to create an identifier (e.g., an identification code or map). In embodiments, creating an identifier includes converting the measured information into a digital representation, which can be stored. In embodiments, the identifier is based on one or more of: (i) the position(s) of the stones; (ii) the orientation of the stones; (iii) the luminescence of the stones; and (iv) the value inscribed on one part of the timepiece serving as a first identifier (e.g., the serial number of the case or the movement). In embodiments, the identifier can be a code (e.g., an alphanumeric code) or map, or another type of information related to the measurement (including the raw data, e.g., an image). In embodiments, comparison may be based on the measurement of the stone characteristics (e.g. luminescence or decay time curve, or light reflected from the stone as a function of orientation of the polarizers (for determining the birefringence)), e.g. without determining any relative positions of the stones.

Additionally, in embodiments, the timepiece may be self-authenticating (e.g., authenticatable without comparison to a database of previously identified timepieces). For example, at the manufacturing stage, a manufacturer may determine a code based on the position(s) and one or more of: (i) the orientation; (ii) the luminescence of the stones. This code, for example, in an encrypted format, may then be added on the timepiece as an identification number (e.g., a serial number). Then, upon a subsequent authentication process, the position(s) and one or more of: (i) the orientation; (ii) the luminescence of the stones may be again measured to generate a determined code, which can then be compared to the identification number of the timepiece.

The third procedure also contemplates that the stone properties are chosen at the time of manufacture with respect to some pre-determined criteria, associated with other characteristics of the timepiece. For example, a stone with a prescribed lifetime may be chosen for a certain position in a given timepiece model. In embodiments, for example, each gemstone present may have a specific relationship to one or more of the other stones. In further embodiments, the properties of the stones may be chosen to match some other characteristic of the watch (e.g., the serial number). With a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, we can consider an initial code, which is composed with 12 digits, which can be numeric or alphanumeric; for a series of 100 watches. Each of those watches will always have one letter or one number in common (which may be associated with the stone with the prescribed lifetime), and the remaining digits will be based and determined, as mentioned elsewhere in the embodiments and claims. For example, a manufacturer may dictate that for a watch having certain serial numbers (e.g., ending in “2”), the watch must contain a stone having particular properties in position “2.” As such, in accordance with the third procedure, the watch may be self-authenticating (i.e., without needing to access a database to authenticate). With further embodiments, instead of prescribing particular properties of one or more stones, a watchmaker may prescribe particular relative relationships between the stones. For example, a manufacturer may dictate that the stone in “Position 1” must have a lifetime that is 0.5 ms longer than the stone in “Position 4.”

It should be noted that with watch maintenance or repair, the jewels of a movement are not usually adjusted, moved, or replaced. That is, for example, a jewel in “position 1” is not moved to another position. Moreover, during repair the relative orientation of the jewels are not usually adjusted. As such, using the third procedure, it is possible to provide identification and/or authentication of a watch even if the watch has been maintained or repaired. In the event that jewels are replaced, or the entire movement is replaced, the watch would need to be re-recorded (e.g., recertified as authentic). Upon re-recording, for example, in accordance with the third procedure, the watch may be analyzed again to determine a new identifier (e.g., map or identifying code) for the watch. This new identifier will replace the old identifier, and may be stored in a database in association with the watch alphanumeric identifier (e.g., serial number).

The third procedure provides a robust solution, as the jewels' properties (e.g., luminescence, orientation, and position) will not change substantially with time. Additionally, the third procedure utilizes timepiece components that are naturally present, thus requiring no change of assembly process. The third procedure utilizes properties that are easily measured. In embodiments, the third procedure utilizes several bits of information per stone (or jewel). Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the invention, the stones can be configured with more bits per stone. As the jewels' properties (e.g., luminescence, orientation, and position) can be measured, for example, at manufacture, the third procedure provides a degree of tamper evidence. In accordance with aspects of the invention, the position, orientation, luminescence of the stones can be deliberately specified at the manufacturing to create a specific code, or taken as such from the manufacturer. For example, the orientations of one or more stones may be imposed by a manufacturer to create, for example, a predetermined identifying code.

Example

With a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, a watch manufacturer or a merchant, for example, may perform an analysis of a watch to determine an identification code based on the position(s) of the stones and one or more of: (i) the orientation; (ii) the luminescence of the stones. Subsequently, by performing an analysis of the watch to determine a created identification code based on the position(s) of the stones and one or more of: (i) the orientation; (ii) the luminescence of the stones, and comparing the created identification code to one or more stored identification codes, a watch owner, a manufacturer, customs, and/or a repair shop, amongst others, for example, can have the watch authenticated.

As should be understood, in embodiments, the initial analysis of the watch (to create the identification code) may be performed downstream from the original manufacturing. For example, a watch owner may have their used watch analyzed to determine an identification code, which may then be sent to the watchmaker for future authentication and/or identification.

System Environment

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a timepiece, a system, a method or a computer program product. Accordingly, the third procedure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the third procedure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following:

-   -   an electrical connection having one or more wires,     -   a portable computer diskette,     -   a hard disk,     -   a random access memory (RAM),     -   a read-only memory (ROM),     -   an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash         memory),     -   an optical fiber,     -   a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM),     -   an optical storage device,     -   a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an         intranet,     -   a magnetic storage device     -   a usb key,     -   a certificate,     -   a perforated card, and/or     -   a mobile phone.

In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the third procedure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network. This may include, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). Additionally, in embodiments, the third procedure may be embodied in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

FIG. 33 shows an illustrative environment 3300 for managing the processes in accordance with the invention. To this extent, the environment 3300 includes a server or other computing system 3305 that can perform the processes described herein. In particular, the server 3305 includes a computing device 3310. The computing device 3310 can be resident on a network infrastructure or computing device of a third party service provider (any of which is generally represented in FIG. 33).

In embodiments, the computing device 3310 includes a luminescence measuring tool 3345, a position measuring tool 3350, an orientation measuring tool 3355, a code generation tool 3360, and a code comparison tool 3365, which are operable to measure one or more detected luminescent properties, measure one or more detected relative positions, measure one or more detected relative orientations, generate an identification code based on relative position, the luminescent properties, the relative orientations, and/or the serial number, and compare measured properties or measured codes with stored properties or stored codes e.g., the processes described herein. The luminescence measuring tool 3345, the position measuring tool 3350, the orientation measuring tool 3355, the code generation tool 3360, and the code comparison tool 3365 can be implemented as one or more program code in the program control 3340 stored in memory 3325A as separate or combined modules.

The computing device 3310 also includes a processor 3320, memory 3325A, an I/O interface 3330, and a bus 3326. The memory 3325A can include local memory employed during actual execution of program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. In addition, the computing device includes random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and an operating system (O/S).

The computing device 3310 is in communication with the external I/O device/resource 3335 and the storage system 3325B. For example, the I/O device 3335 can comprise any device that enables an individual to interact with the computing device 3310 or any device that enables the computing device 3310 to communicate with one or more other computing devices using any type of communications link. The external I/O device/resource 3335 may be for example, a handheld device, PDA, handset, keyboard, smartphone, etc. Additionally, in accordance with aspects of the invention, the environment 3300 includes an illumination device 3370 for providing illumination, and one or more readers 3375 for measuring luminescent properties, relative position, and/or relative orientation of the jewels.

In general, the processor 3320 executes computer program code (e.g., program control 3340), which can be stored in the memory 3325A and/or storage system 3325B. Moreover, in accordance with aspects of the invention, the program control 3340 having program code controls the luminescence measuring tool 3345, the position measuring tool 3350, the orientation measuring tool 3355, the code generation tool 3360, and the code comparison tool 3360. While executing the computer program code, the processor 3320 can read and/or write data to/from memory 3325A, storage system 3325B, and/or I/O interface 3330. The program code executes the processes of the invention. The bus 3326 provides a communications link between each of the components in the computing device 3310.

The computing device 3310 can comprise any general purpose computing article of manufacture capable of executing computer program code installed thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, etc.). However, it is understood that the computing device 3310 is only representative of various possible equivalent-computing devices that may perform the processes described herein. To this extent, in embodiments, the functionality provided by the computing device 3310 can be implemented by a computing article of manufacture that includes any combination of general and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code. In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created using standard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, the computing infrastructure 3305 is only illustrative of various types of computer infrastructures for implementing the invention. For example, in embodiments, the server 3305 comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate over any type of communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, to perform the process described herein.

Further, while performing the processes described herein, one or more computing devices on the server 3305 can communicate with one or more other computing devices external to the server 3305 using any type of communications link. The communications link can comprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links; any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.); and/or utilize any combination of transmission techniques and protocols.

Flow Diagrams

FIGS. 34 and 35 show exemplary flows for performing aspects of the third procedure. The steps of FIGS. 34 and 35 may be implemented in the environment of FIG. 33, for example. The flow diagrams may equally represent a high-level block diagrams of the invention. The flowcharts and/or block diagrams in FIGS. 34 and 35 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the third procedure. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Each block of each flowchart, and combinations of the flowchart illustrations can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions and/or software, as described above. Moreover, the steps of the flow diagrams may be implemented and executed from either a server, in a client server relationship, or they may run on a user workstation with operative information conveyed to the user workstation. In an embodiment, the software elements include firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

Furthermore, a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may provide program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. The software and/or computer program product can be implemented in the environment of FIG. 33. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

FIG. 34 illustrates an exemplary flow 3400 for creating and storing an identification code for a timepiece. At step 3405, the position measuring tool detects the relative position of the one or more jewels. As shown in FIG. 34, at step 3410, the luminescence measuring tool measures luminescence properties of one or more jewels, for example, at one or more intervals. At step 3415, the orientation measuring tool detects the relative orientation of the one or more jewels. At step 3420, the code generation tool creates an identification code based on the relative position, the luminescent properties, and/or the relative orientation of the one or more jewels. In embodiments, the code generation tool may additionally utilize a serial number of the timepiece in creating the identification code. At step 3425, the code generation tool stores the identification code in a storage system, e.g., a database.

FIG. 35 illustrates an exemplary flow 3500 for authentication and/or identification of a time piece. As shown in FIG. 35, at step 3505, the position measuring tool detects the relative position of the one or more jewels. At step 3510, the luminescence measuring tool measures luminescence properties of one or more jewels, for example, at one or more intervals. At step 3515, the orientation measuring tool detects the relative orientation of the one or more jewels. At step 3520, the code creation tool creates an obtained identification code based on the luminescent properties, the relative position, and the relative orientation of the one or more jewels. At step 3525, the code comparison tool compares the obtained code with stored identification codes. At step 3530, the code comparison tool determines whether the obtained code matches a stored identification code. If, at step 3530, the code comparison tool determines that the obtained code matches a stored identification code, at step 3535, the timepiece is determined to be authentic. If, at step 3530, the code comparison tool determines that the obtained code match does not match a stored identification code, at step 3540, the timepiece is determined to be un-authentic.

Fourth Procedure

A fourth procedure for authenticating and/identifying a timepiece will be described in the following passages. The procedure comprises applying at least one excitation to the timepiece using an apparatus to generate a vibration of the timepiece; and detecting the vibration of the timepiece resulting from the excitation for determining the authenticity of the timepiece.

The timepiece, herein referred to as the device, may comprise a mechanical resonator for determining the authenticity of the device, wherein the mechanical resonator is excited on application of an excitation to the device. The main or sole function of the mechanical resonator may be to vibrate following the application of an excitation to the device for authenticating the device. The mechanical resonator may be a small mechanical resonator which may be inserted into a device without altering the device's functionality. The method of the present invention may be used on any device to which a mechanical resonator can be attached and/or inserted without altering the device's functionality.

The step of applying at least one excitation to said device using an apparatus to generate a vibration of the device may comprise applying the at least one excitation to said device using an external apparatus to generate a vibration of the device. An external apparatus is an apparatus which is not an integral component of the device. The term external vibrations is used to refer to vibrations which originate from an external apparatus. In another embodiment, the device may comprise an exciter such as a tuning fork which can be used to apply the excitations to the device.

The apparatus may be an external apparatus wherein the step of applying at least one excitation to said device comprises applying an external vibration to the device. The external vibration may be applied to an internal part of the device or to an external part of the device.

The external apparatus may comprise at least one of a transducer for example a piezoelectric device, an impactor, a tuning fork, and a striking element (such as a clapper or a striker).

The external vibrations applied to the device may be pulsed. The pulses may be identical copies of one another or they may be different.

The acoustic vibrations may be in the sonic, and/or the sub-sonic and and/or in the ultrasonic range, unless otherwise specified. The term “acoustic” does not limit the vibrations to being within a human's audible range.

While mechanical shocks within the timepiece may be a source of vibrations, the fourth procedure utilizes another source of excitation, preferably an external source of excitation, for generating vibrations of the device. The vibrations can be detected and/or recorded for authenticating the timepiece. For example, a timepiece may not be operating, for example it may be broken, such that there are no generated internal vibrations from the operation of the movement (e.g., no “tick-tock” sound). With embodiments the fourth procedure, an external source of excitation is utilized to generate internal vibrations in the timepiece, which may be used to identify and/or authenticate the timepiece. That is, in accordance with aspects of the invention, the external vibration generates at least one acoustic vibration inside the timepiece, which may be used to identify and/or authenticate a timepiece.

The vibration of the timepiece may be analysed to give information on the nature of the material or materials from which the timepiece is composed and/or of the structure of the timepiece. The material may be steel.

Using an external source of excitation may be advantageous even with a working timepiece, as some of the parts whose vibrations can give rise to a characteristic signal may be only weakly excited by the internal shocks.

In particular, even if a timepiece is working, the sound generated by internal excitation is mostly localized in a specific region of the timepiece, for example at the balance wheel/escapement assembly. By using an external excitation (e.g. a vibration), additional information about the timepiece such as (e.g. other vibrational frequencies) may be determined, and used for identification and/or authentication. Additionally, by utilizing an external excitation the excitation can be tailored with substantial freedom (in contrast to an internal excitation due to the movement, where the excitation is given by the characteristics of the movement). For example, the frequency spectrum of the excitation, the amplitude and/or the time-profile may be controlled.

There need not be only one microphone or excitation source to detect said acoustic vibration. A plurality of devices may be used, to detect different paths of propagation of the vibration inside the timepiece (and the associated delays), reflecting the structure and material composition of the piece.

In particular, three microphones may be used to localize the source of vibration inside a piece.

According to an embodiment of a method for authenticating a timepiece according to the invention, an external source of excitation is applied to a timepiece to be authenticated, and the acoustic vibrations of the timepiece are measured, for example, using a microphone, such as a contact piezoelectric microphone. The acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time.

FIG. 36 shows an exemplary excitation signal 3600 which is applied to a device or product in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 36, the exemplary excitation signal 3600 is depicted as a normalized excitation signal versus time. In embodiments, the external excitation signal 3600 may be generated using an external device. In embodiments of the invention, the external device may comprise at least one transducer such as a piezoelectric device, and a tuning fork, and a striking element such as a clapper or a striker amongst other contemplated external devices.

The two functions of excitation and detection could be coupled in a single transducer.

As shown with the exemplary excitation signal of FIG. 36, the excitation signal 3600 may comprise a regular sequence of excitation regions spaced apart by regions of non-excitation (e.g., 100 ms on, 100 ms off, 100 ms on, 100 ms off, etc.). With such an exemplary excitation signal 3600, the internal vibrations may be detected during the periods of non-excitation. That is, in embodiments, the measuring of the acoustic vibrations emitted inside the timepiece does not overlap in time with the external excitation. Additionally, the internal vibrations may be detected during the periods overlapping (e.g., partially or totally with) the periods of excitation. That is, in embodiments, the measuring of the acoustic vibrations emitted inside the timepiece may at least partially overlap in time with the at least one external vibration.

With other contemplated embodiments, the external excitation signal may comprise one or more of sequential vibrations, time-varied vibrations, intensity-varied vibrations, pulsed vibrations, acoustic vibrations, a non-stop (or continuous) vibration with discontinuous frequencies, and a continuous vibration with a continuous frequency. In embodiments of the invention, the acoustic vibrations may comprise at least one of a single tone, two or more tones, a sweep, a white noise, a colored noise, a random or pseudo-random sequence, one impulse, and a sequence of two or more impulses.

The excitation applied to the device may comprise an electro-magnetic excitation.

FIG. 37 shows an exemplary detected signal 3700 in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 37, a section (depicted within box 3705) of the exemplary detected signal 3700 is enlarged to illustrate a portion 3710 of the exemplary detected signal 3700. As is shown in FIG. 37, the portion 3710 of the exemplary detected signal 3700 generally includes three zones (3715, 3720, and 3725). In accordance with embodiments of the invention, zone 3715 of the exemplary detected signal 3700 may include a detection of the external excitation signal and a detection of the internal vibrations emitted by the timepiece due to application of the external excitation signal. Zone 3720 of the exemplary detected signal 3700 includes a detection of the internal vibrations emitted by the timepiece that are attributable to the applied external excitation. Zone 3725 of the exemplary detected signal 3700 includes a detection of the background noise such as acoustic and electrical noise picked-up by the microphone.

FIG. 38 shows an exemplary detected signal 3800 with an identification of a background subtraction signal in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 38, the exemplary detected signal may be divided into three zones (3715, 3720, and 3725). As noted above, zone 3715 of the exemplary detected signal 3800 may include a detection of the external excitation signal and a detection of the internal vibrations emitted by the timepiece due to application of the external excitation signal. This portion of the detected signal 3800 may be less suitable for identification and/or authentication purposes, as its dominant contribution comes from direct transmission of the external excitation. Zone 3720 (also designated as Zone A) of the exemplary detected signal 3800 includes a detection of the internal vibrations 3805 emitted by the timepiece that are attributable to the applied external excitation. Because these vibrations persist for a time after the excitation has been turned off, they contribute substantially to the signal in zone 3720. In zone 3725 (also designated as Zone B) of the exemplary detected signal 3800, the vibrations have substantially or completely decayed. Hence, a comparison between the signal measured in zone 3720 and the signal measured in zone 3725 conveniently allows to discriminate between a useful signal resulting from vibrations emitted by the timepiece as a result of the external excitation and background noise which is not attributable to the applied external excitation such as acoustical ambient noise, building vibrations etc.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to be authenticated are measured and an electrical signal is obtained, which indicates a variation of a magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time. This electrical signal may be transformed into a frequency domain, so as to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of the electrical signal as a function of frequency. The frequency-domain transform to be used according to an exemplary embodiment may be one of the usual frequency-domain transforms, such as a Fourier transform, in particular a Fast Fourier transform. The frequency-power spectrum of the measured acoustic vibrations of the timepiece to be authenticated reveals several peaks in the power spectrum representation at several frequencies.

This frequency information may be extracted from the frequency-domain power spectrum and compared with reference frequency information, which has been previously stored for the timepiece model. This comparison enables derivation of information making it possible to authenticate a timepiece by simply comparing the frequency information obtained for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference frequency information for the timepiece model to be authenticated.

In embodiments, a time-frequency representation may be used to provide information on which frequencies are present at which time. A time-frequency representation can therefore be used to associate specific frequencies with specific events taking place in the time domain. For example, to determine the lifetime of the vibration associated with a given resonant frequency.

According to embodiments of the fourth procedure, a time-frequency transform to be used may be one among the several time-frequency transforms available and known to the person skilled in the art. In particular, to cite a few possible exemplary transforms, the transform into a time-frequency representation may be one of the short-time Fourier transform, a Gabor transform, a Wigner transform, and a wavelet transform.

A wavelet transform is described, for example, in C. Torrence and G. P. Compo, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 79, 1998. The use of a wavelet transform represents an exemplary embodiment of the fourth procedure, since the wavelet transform is a convenient tool for time-frequency analysis, with a number of interesting features, such as the possibility to adapt the time-frequency resolution to the problem under investigation, as well as the good mathematical properties. The continuous wavelet transform takes a time-domain signal s(t), the electrical signal of the measured acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, the electrical signal indicating a variation of the magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, and transforms this time-domain signal into a time-frequency representation W(f, t), which is defined by the following equation (1):

$\begin{matrix} {{W\left( {f,t} \right)} = {\sqrt{\frac{2\pi \; f}{c}}{\int_{- \infty}^{\infty}{{s\left( t^{\prime} \right)}{\psi^{*}\left( \frac{2\pi \; {f\left( {t^{\prime} - t} \right)}}{c} \right)}\ {t^{\prime}}}}}} & (1) \end{matrix}$

where:

-   -   ψ is the wavelet function (there are several types to choose         from); and     -   c is a constant, which depends on the chosen wavelet function.

With additional embodiments, a time-frequency representation may be obtained using a Morlet wavelet (2):

ψ_(ω)(x)=π^(−1/4)exp(iωx−x ²/2)  (2)

with: ω=40 and

$c = {\frac{\omega + \sqrt{2 + \omega^{2}}}{2} \approx 40.01}$

By using this time-frequency information, which is obtained from a time-frequency representation of the electrical signal obtained by measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by the timepiece to be authenticated, information on an authenticity of the timepiece can be derived. In order to do so, the time-frequency information is extracted from the time-frequency representation and compared with reference time-frequency information, which has been previously stored for the timepiece model. By comparing the time-frequency information extracted for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference time-information for the timepiece model, the authenticity (or lack thereof) of the timepiece can be derived.

In further embodiments of the invention, the fourth procedure further comprises measuring at least one background vibration when no external vibration is applied, and subtracting the at least one background vibration from the measured acoustic vibrations.

FIG. 39 shows an exemplary background subtraction Fourier transform in accordance with embodiments of the invention. More specifically, FIG. 39 shows an exemplary Fourier transform of the Zone A portion of the signal and the Zone B portion of the signal in accordance with embodiments of the invention. In embodiments of the invention, a background subtraction may be performed (e.g. by taking the ratio of the two Fourier Transforms) to subtract the background noise (e.g., as detected in Zone B) from the detected signal (e.g., as detected in Zone A) to arrive at an identification/authentication signal (i.e., representative of the internal vibrations of the timepiece that are attributable to the applied external excitation).

FIG. 40 shows an exemplary background subtraction ratio Fourier transform in accordance with embodiments of the invention. More specifically, FIG. 40 shows an exemplary Fourier transform ratio of the Zone A portion of the signal to the Zone B portion of the signal in accordance with embodiments of the invention. In embodiments of the invention, the ratio of the detected signal (e.g., as detected in Zone A) to the background noise (e.g., as detected in Zone B) may be used as an identification/authentication signal (i.e., representative of the internal vibrations of the timepiece that are attributable to the applied external excitation).

In accordance with the fourth procedure, the extracted information (e.g., the signal resulting from background subtraction and/or the ratio signal) may then be compared with reference information. This reference information has been previously measured and stored for the timepiece model that is to be authenticated. By comparing the extracted information obtained for the timepiece to be authenticated with the reference information, information regarding an authenticity of the timepiece to be authenticated can be derived.

According to the fourth procedure, information on the width of the spectral peak may be used for authentication and/or identification purposes.

It has been observed by the inventors of the embodiments of the present invention that the reliability and degree of precision of the fourth procedure are such that it is possible to even identify differences between the timepieces of an identical model. Indeed, because of manufacturing tolerances, even two timepieces of an identical model differ from each other. When applying the principles underlined in the fourth procedure to different timepieces from the same series and the same manufacturer, it can be seen that the corresponding acoustic measurements are different and the extracted relevant respective pieces of frequency information, which characterize the fingerprint of the respective timepiece, are different. Hence, an identifier (e.g., a unique identifier) can be defined for a timepiece without having to open the timepiece.

The above-described measurements of a particular timepiece should not change over time (i.e., remain stable). For example, as long as components of the watch are not touched or manipulated, the above-described measurements of a particular timepiece will not change. Of course, with maintenance of the timepiece (e.g., when the timepiece is opened), the above-described measurements may be affected. As such, when timepiece maintenance is performed (e.g., when the timepiece is opened), the timepiece should be recertified (e.g., the acoustic signature of the timepiece should be recaptured, and the results of the one or more the above-described measurements should be identified and stored). In embodiments, once the timepiece is recertified, the results of the one or more the above-described measurements may also be linked with a timepiece identifier (e.g., the timepiece serial number), for example, in a database.

While the above-described measurements a timepiece should not change over time, the embodiments of the invention contemplate that some of the above-described measurements of respective timepiece may change albeit slightly over time. Thus, in accordance with embodiments of the invention, a threshold for determining a positive authentication of a timepiece may be configured (e.g., lowered) in dependence upon an age of the timepiece. That is, in embodiments, an older timepiece may be subjected to a lower threshold for a positive authentication via comparison with stored time measurements, frequency measurements, and/or magnitude measurements (or stored identifiers based upon the measurements). In embodiments, the timepiece may be recertified on a regular basis (e.g., yearly) to account for the evolution (e.g., any property changes) of the timepiece over time.

With further contemplated embodiments of the fourth procedure, the analysis of a timepiece may be in two levels (e.g., a less intense first level and a more intense second level). For example, with a first level of analysis (e.g., an initial assessment), the timepiece may be identified by a make and model (e.g., using a peak within a range of frequencies), to determine if the timepiece is authentic (i.e., verified as a particular make and model). With this first level of analysis, an assessment may determine, for example, that the timepiece is in fact a particular make and/or model. A second level of analysis may include a deeper analysis of the emitted sounds, to identify a unique “finger print” for the timepiece (e.g., using a specific peak or a peak within a range of frequencies). This unique “finger print” may be stored in a database and/or compared with previously stored finger prints to positively identify the timepiece. In embodiments, either or both of the first and second levels of analysis may be done with a new timepiece, or with used timepieces that have not been previously analyzed.

While above embodiments have been described with regard to a timepiece that is not working or “running” (e.g., is broken or unwound), with further contemplated embodiments, the measuring of the acoustic vibrations emitted within the timepiece may be performed while the timepiece is running. With such an embodiment, the applying at least one external vibration may be synchronous with a tick/tock noise emanated by the timepiece. In additional embodiments of the invention, the measuring the acoustic vibrations emitted inside the timepiece may be performed when at least one of a tick movement and a tock movement of the timepiece occurs. In yet further embodiments of the invention, the measuring the acoustic vibrations emitted inside the timepiece may be performed between occurrences of a tick movement and a tock movement of the timepiece.

With further contemplated embodiments, more than one bit of information may be extracted from the timepiece, with additional (or specific) stimulation (or excitation). For example, a timepiece may be configured, such that a unique identifier or ID may be extracted using a specific frequency of excitation. For example, the timepiece may be provided with a resonator, which is excited by a specific frequency, to create a unique ID.

FIG. 41 shows an exemplary and non-limiting signal detection system 4100 in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown in FIG. 41, the exemplary signal detection system 4100 includes an input signal generation tool 4110 operable to generate an input signal. The generated input signal is sent to an external excitation device 4115 (e.g., a transducer). The exemplary and non-limiting signal detection system 4100 illustrates a transducer as the external excitation device 4115, which in embodiments of the invention, may be a piezoelectric device, and/or a tuning fork, amongst other contemplated external excitation devices. In other embodiments, the external excitation device may be a small striking element, such as a clapper or a striker. The generated input signal may be configured to produce (via the external excitation device) one or more of regular vibrations (e.g., of approximately constant amplitude and spectrum), sequential vibrations, time-varied vibrations, intensity-varied vibrations, pulsed vibrations, and continuous (e.g., non-stop) vibrations having discontinuous frequencies.

As further shown in FIG. 41, the external vibration device 4115 (e.g., a transducer) is placed in proximity to (e.g., in physical contact with) a timepiece 4105. A detection device 4120 (e.g., a transducer) is placed in contact with the timepiece 4105 to detect the vibrations emitted by the timepiece 4105. In embodiments, the detection device may comprise a transducer such as a microphone, amongst other contemplated detection devices.

In accordance with the fourth procedure, the detection device 4120 detects an output signal 4125. The output signal 4125 is sent to an analog/digital converter 4130, which is operable to convert the analog output signal into a digital signal. The digital output signal is sent to a controller 4135. In embodiments, the controller 4135 is operable to process the digital signal (e.g., using a Fast Fourier transform).

Further, the controller 4135 is operable to further process the signal (e.g., using a subtraction of the background signal from the detected signal and/or a ratio of the detected signal to the background signal, as discussed above) to determine an identification/authentication signature for the timepiece. Additionally, the controller 4135 is operable to store the identification/authentication signature for the timepiece in a storage device 4140 (e.g., a database). Also, as shown in FIG. 41, the controller 4135 is in communication with the input signal device 4110, and is operable to control a generation of the input signal.

System Environment

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the fourth procedure may be embodied as a system, a method or a computer program product. Accordingly, the fourth procedure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software (except for the transducers and ND converters) embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the fourth procedure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usable program code tangibly embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium include the following:

-   -   an electrical connection having one or more wires,     -   a portable computer diskette,     -   a hard disk,     -   a random access memory (RAM),     -   a read-only memory (ROM),     -   an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash         memory),     -   an optical fiber,     -   a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM),     -   an optical storage device,     -   a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an         intranet,     -   a magnetic storage device,     -   a usb key,     -   a certificate,     -   a perforated card, and/or     -   a mobile phone.

In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer-usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the fourth procedure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network. This may include, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). Additionally, in embodiments, the fourth procedure may be embodied in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

FIG. 42 shows an illustrative environment 4200 for managing the processes in accordance with the invention. To this extent, the environment 4200 includes a server or other computing system 4205 that can perform the processes described herein. In particular, the server 4205 includes a computing device 4210. The computing device 4210 can be resident on a network infrastructure or computing device of a third party service provider (any of which is generally represented in FIG. 42). In embodiments of the fourth procedure, the computing device 4210 may be used as the controller 4135 depicted in FIG. 41.

In embodiments, the computing device 4210 includes an input signal control tool 4245, a measuring tool 4250, an analog/digital converter control tool 4255, an extraction tool 4265, an identification tool 4270, a comparison tool 4275, and an authenticity determination tool 4280, which are operable to create an external excitation, measure one or more detected sounds or vibrations, control an analog/digital converter, extract from an electrical signal or from a representation of said electrical signal in a time or time-frequency domain at least one of: magnitude information on a magnitude of the detected acoustic signal, time information of the detected acoustic signal, and frequency information the detected acoustic signal, create an identifier based on the extracted information, compare the extracted information with stored information, and determine an authenticity, e.g., the processes described herein. The input signal control tool 4245, the measuring tool 4250, the analog/digital converter control tool 4255, the extraction tool 4265, the identification tool 4270, the comparison tool 4275, and the authenticity determination tool 4280 can be implemented as one or more program code in the program control 4240 stored in memory 4225A as separate or combined modules. The computing device 4210 also includes a processor 4220, memory 4225A, an I/O interface 4230, and a bus 4226. The memory 4225A can include local memory employed during actual execution of program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. In addition, the computing device includes random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and an operating system (O/S).

The computing device 4210 is in communication with the external I/O device/resource 4235 and the storage system 4225B. For example, the I/O device 4235 can comprise any device that enables an individual to interact with the computing device 4210 or any device that enables the computing device 4210 to communicate with one or more other computing devices using any type of communications link. The external I/O device/resource 4235 may be for example, a handheld device, PDA, handset, keyboard, smartphone, etc. Additionally, in accordance with aspects of embodiments of the invention, the environment 4200 includes an excitation device (or exciter) 4283 for generating an external excitation, a measuring device (or measurer) 4285 for measuring sound vibrations (e.g., sonic emissions) from one or more timepieces, and an analog/digital converter 4290 for converting the detected analog signal into a digital signal.

In general, the processor 4220 executes computer program code (e.g., program control 4240), which can be stored in the memory 4225A and/or storage system 4225B. Moreover, in accordance with embodiments of the invention, the program control 4240 having program code controls the input signal control tool 4245, the measuring tool 4250, the analog/digital converter control tool 4255, the extraction tool 4265, the identification tool 4270, the comparison tool 4275, and the authenticity determination tool 4280. While executing the computer program code, the processor 4220 can read and/or write data to/from memory 4225A, storage system 4225B, and/or I/O interface 4230. The program code executes the processes of the invention. The bus 4226 provides a communications link between each of the components in the computing device 4210.

The computing device 4210 can comprise any general purpose computing article of manufacture capable of executing computer program code installed thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, etc.). However, it is understood that the computing device 4210 is only representative of various possible equivalent computing devices that may perform the processes described herein. To this extent, in embodiments, the functionality provided by the computing device 4210 can be implemented by a computing article of manufacture that includes any combination of general and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code. In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created using standard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, the computing infrastructure 4205 is only illustrative of various types of computer infrastructures for implementing the invention. For example, in embodiments, the server 4205 comprises two or more computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate over any type of communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, or the like, to perform the process described herein. Further, while performing the processes described herein, one or more computing devices on the server 4205 can communicate with one or more other computing devices external to the server 4205 using any type of communications link. The communications link can comprise any combination of wired and/or wireless links; any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtual private network, etc.); and/or utilize any combination of transmission techniques and protocols.

Flow Diagrams

FIGS. 43 and 44 show exemplary flows for performing aspects of embodiments of the fourth procedure. The steps of FIGS. 43 and 44 may be implemented in the environment of FIG. 42, for example. The flow diagrams may equally represent high-level block diagrams of embodiments of the invention. The flowcharts and/or block diagrams in FIGS. 43 and 44 illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the fourth procedure. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Each block of each flowchart, and combinations of the flowchart illustrations can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions and/or software, as described above. Moreover, the steps of the flow diagrams may be implemented and executed from either a server, in a client server relationship, or they may run on a user workstation with operative information conveyed to the user workstation. In an embodiment, the software elements include firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.

Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. The software and/or computer program product can be implemented in the environment of FIG. 42. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

FIG. 43 illustrates an exemplary flow 4300 for creating and storing an identification code for a timepiece. At step 4302, the input signal control tool controls the excitation device to apply an external excitation to a timepiece. At step 4305, the measuring tool measures acoustic vibrations to obtain an electrical signal. At step 4310, the extraction tool extracts from said electrical signal or from a representation of said electrical signal in a time or time-frequency domain at least one of: magnitude information on a magnitude of the measured electrical signal, time information of the measured electrical signal, and frequency information on a frequency of said the measured electrical signal. At step 4313, the extraction tool determines an identification signal from the measured electrical signal by accounting for a signal portion based on the external excitation and accounting for a signal portion based on background noise. At step 4315, the identification tool creates an identification code based on the identification signal. At step 4320, the identification tool stores the identification code in a storage system, e.g., a database.

FIG. 44 illustrates an exemplary flow 4400 for authentication and/or identification of a timepiece. As shown in FIG. 44, at step 4405, the input signal control tool controls the excitation device (or exciter) to apply an external excitation to a timepiece. As step 4410, the measuring tool controls a microphone to measure acoustic vibrations to obtain an electrical signal. At step 4412, the extraction tool extracts from said electrical signal or from a representation of said electrical signal in a time or time-frequency domain at least one of: magnitude information on a magnitude of the measured electrical signal, time information of the measured electrical signal, and frequency information of the measured electrical signal. At step 4415, the extraction tool determines an identification signal from the measured electrical signal by accounting for a signal portion based on the external excitation and accounting for a signal portion based on background noise At step 4417, the identification tool creates an obtained identification code based the identification signal. At step 4420, the comparison tool (or comparator) compares the obtained code with stored identification codes. At step 4425, the authentication determination tool determines whether the obtained code matches a stored identification code. If, at step 4425, the authentication determination tool determines that the obtained code matches a stored identification code, at step 4430, the timepiece is determined to be authentic. If, at step 4425, the authentication determination tool determines that the obtained code match does not match a stored identification code, at step 4435, the timepiece is determined to be un-authentic.

The fourth procedure may comprise applying at least one external excitation to said timepiece using an external device, measuring acoustic vibrations emitted inside the timepiece to obtain an electrical signal representative of the measured acoustic vibrations, wherein the electrical signal indicates magnitude information comprising a variation of a magnitude of the measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, comparing the magnitude information with at least one reference magnitude information, and determining an authenticity of the timepiece based on the comparing.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made without departing from the essential teachings of the invention.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description is taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to “a magnetic material” would also mean that mixtures of one or more magnetic materials can be present unless specifically excluded.

Except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not to be considered as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of significant digits and ordinary rounding conventions.

Additionally, the recitation of numerical ranges within this specification is considered to be a disclosure of all numerical values and ranges within that range. For example, if a range is from about 1 to about 50, it is deemed to include, for example, 1, 7, 34, 46.1, 23.7, or any other value or range within the range.

The various embodiments disclosed herein can be used separately and in various combinations unless specifically stated to the contrary. 

1.-73. (canceled)
 74. A method of authenticating a timepiece comprising at least two of the following procedures: (i) measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by said timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events (1,2) associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, extracting in said electrical signal or in a representation of said electrical signal in a time, frequency or time-frequency domain at least one of a magnitude information on a magnitude of one of said plurality of acoustic events, a time information on said one of said plurality of acoustic events and a frequency information on a frequency of said one of said plurality of acoustic events, comparing said extracted at least one of a magnitude information, time information and frequency information with at least one of a reference magnitude information, reference time information and reference frequency information, and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result; (ii) measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by said timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, said acoustic events being separated from each other by a respective quiet zone, processing said electrical signal so as to attenuate said plurality of acoustic events in said electrical signal, performing a transform of said processed electrical signal into a frequency domain to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of said processed electrical signal as a function of frequency, processing said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in said frequency-domain power spectrum corresponding to at least one resonance frequency of a mechanical part of said timepiece resonating in a quiet zone, extracting said at least one resonance frequency corresponding to said at least one narrow peak, comparing said extracted at least one resonance frequency with at least one reference resonance frequency, and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result; (iii) wherein the timepiece comprises at least one gemstone (1420, 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1530, 1535, 3105) and wherein the procedure comprises: determining one or more characteristics of the at least one gemstone (1420, 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1530, 1535, 3105); creating an identifier for the timepiece in dependence upon at least one of the one or more characteristics of the at least one gemstone (1420, 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1530, 1535, 3105); and comparing the created identifier with one or more stored identifiers to determine whether the timepiece is authentic or a counterfeit; and (iv) applying at least one excitation to the timepiece using an apparatus to generate a vibration of the timepiece; and detecting the vibration of the timepiece resulting from the excitation for determining the authenticity of the timepiece.
 75. The method according to claim 74, wherein said extracting step of procedure (i) comprises extracting, in a time sequence of said electrical signal corresponding to one of said plurality of acoustic events, a time delay information on a time delay between a first acoustic sub-event of said one of said plurality of acoustic events and a second acoustic sub-event of said one of said plurality of acoustic events.
 76. The method according to claim 74, wherein procedure (i) further comprises performing a transform of said electrical signal into a frequency domain to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of said electrical signal as a function of frequency, wherein said extracting step comprises extracting at least one frequency information on a frequency associated with a peak of said frequency-domain power spectrum.
 77. The method according to claim 74, wherein, in procedure (ii), said processing said electrical signal so as to attenuate said plurality of events in said electrical signal comprises the following steps: sampling said electrical signal (S), calculating an envelope (E) of said sampled electrical signal (S) by averaging an absolute value of a plurality of samples, and calculating a ratio of said sampled electrical signal (S) divided by said calculated envelope (E) of said sampled electrical signal (S).
 78. The method according to claim 74, wherein procedure (ii) further comprises introducing a resonator into said timepiece, said resonator having predetermined resonance frequency characteristics, wherein said comparing step comprises comparing said extracted at least one resonance frequency with said predetermined resonance frequency characteristics to derive an information on an authenticity of said timepiece and preferably further comprising encoding said predetermined resonance frequency characteristics to create a unique identifier for said timepiece having said resonator introduced therein.
 79. The method according to claim 74, wherein procedure (iii) further comprises detecting (2015, 2115) a relative position of the at least one gemstone in the timepiece, wherein the identifier for the timepiece is created in dependence upon at least one of the one or more characteristics of the at least one gemstone and the respective relative position of the at least one gemstone.
 80. The method of claim 74, wherein, in procedure (iii), the one or more characteristics comprise luminescent properties and/or an orientation of the at least one gemstone.
 81. The method according to claim 74, wherein procedure (iv), further comprises analyzing the detected vibration to determine the authenticity of the timepiece.
 82. The method of claim 81, wherein analyzing the detected vibration in procedure (iv) comprises comparing the detected vibration with reference information for determining the authenticity of the timepiece and preferably wherein the reference information comprises at least one of previously recorded data for the timepiece and a model of the timepiece.
 83. The method of claim 82, wherein procedure (iv) further comprises determining the authenticity of the timepiece based on the comparison.
 84. The method according to claim 74, wherein, in procedure (iv) the apparatus is an external apparatus (4115, 4283).
 85. The method according to claim 74, wherein in procedure (iv) the apparatus is an external apparatus (4115, 4283), and wherein the step of applying at least one excitation to said timepiece comprises applying an external vibration to the timepiece.
 86. The method according to claim 85, wherein in procedure (iv), applying an external vibration to the timepiece comprises applying at least one of regular vibrations, sequential vibrations, time-varied vibrations, intensity-varied vibrations, pulsed vibrations, and a continuous vibration with discontinuous frequencies to said timepiece.
 87. The method according to claim 74, wherein the timepiece is a watch.
 88. A computer readable medium for storing instructions, which, upon being executed by a processor of a computer device, cause the processor to execute at least two of the following procedures: (a) measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events (1, 2) associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, extracting in said electrical signal or in a representation of said electrical signal in a time, frequency or time-frequency domain at least one of a magnitude information on a magnitude of one of said plurality of acoustic events, a time information on said one of said plurality of acoustic events and a frequency information on a frequency of said one of said plurality of acoustic events, comparing said extracted at least one of a magnitude information, time information and frequency information with at least one of a reference magnitude information, reference time information and reference frequency information, and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result; (b) measuring acoustic vibrations emitted by a timepiece to obtain an electrical signal, said electrical signal indicating a variation of a magnitude of said measured acoustic vibrations as a function of time, wherein said electrical signal comprises a plurality of acoustic events associated with mechanical shocks taking place in said timepiece, said acoustic events being separated from each other by a respective quiet zone, processing said electrical signal so as to attenuate said plurality of acoustic events in said electrical signal, performing a transform of said processed electrical signal into a frequency domain to obtain a frequency-domain power spectrum indicating a variation of a power of said processed electrical signal as a function of frequency, processing said frequency-domain power spectrum so as to reveal at least one narrow peak in said frequency-domain power spectrum corresponding to at least one resonance frequency of a mechanical part of said timepiece resonating in a quiet zone, extracting said at least one resonance frequency corresponding to said at least one narrow peak, comparing said extracted at least one resonance frequency with at least one reference resonance frequency; and deriving an information on an authenticity of said timepiece based on the comparison result; (c) determining one or more characteristics of at least one gemstone (1420, 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1530, 1535, 3105) of a timepiece; creating an identifier for the timepiece in dependence upon at least one of the one or more characteristics of the at least one gemstone (1420, 1505, 1510, 1515, 1520, 1530, 1535, 3105); and comparing the created identifier with one or more stored identifiers to determine whether the timepiece is authentic or a counterfeit; and (d) applying at least one excitation to the timepiece using an apparatus to generate a vibration of the timepiece; and detecting the vibration of the timepiece resulting from the excitation for determining the authenticity of the timepiece. 